In the age of postmodern consumer culture, this thesis is aiming to emphasize the moral and ethical responsibility of a product designer. By producing material goods for society, the industry is consuming natural resources - a heavy duty. Inevitably, a part of the production energy is used to generate waste material, which form and potential is usually disregarded in the ongoing process. To honour every bit of these limited and valuable materials, this project is trying to redefine the existing role of the unmindful product designer.

In ecosystems, the decomposer plays a decisive role. Bacteria and fungi for instance occur where there is dead matter. By remineralisation they decompose this matter into useful material for the system on site. The focus of this project is to illustrate opportunities for the product designer to serve as the decomposer.

Based on a cooperative exploration of alternative uses of industrial by-products, the following protocols report on fieldtrips to different production sites. The resources of these locations were examined and utilised to design furniture and home objects. Unlike conventional mass production, the by-products and circumstances in the collaborating companies dictated the scope of each design.

By transforming and recontextualising the industrial by-products, one goal is to free the scrap material from the degrading stamp of waste. During the project, these materials become objects with a story worth telling. The documentation portrays the origin and atmosphere from which the product was brought to life.

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.